Pope Francis Discharged from Hospital After Successful Surgery

Pope Francis was discharged from the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Friday, nine days after undergoing abdominal surgery to repair a hernia and remove painful scarring. The pontiff left the hospital in a wheelchair, smiling and waving to the crowd of well-wishers gathered outside.

The 86-year-old Pope then stood up and made his way to the small Vatican car awaiting him, batting away reporters’ microphones good-naturedly. Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who performed the three-hour operation on June 7, said that the Pope was “better than before” the hospitalization.

The Pope had been admitted to the hospital on June 7 for the surgery, which was described as “minor” by the Vatican. Since then, he has been receiving medical care and monitoring, and has been in good spirits throughout his stay.

The Pope is now returning to the Vatican, where he will continue to receive medical care and monitoring. He is expected to resume his normal activities in the coming weeks. This is the second time in the past year that Pope Francis has been hospitalized for a medical procedure. In January, he underwent a successful operation to remove a benign tumor from his lung.